Overview
- Search teams recovered 5-year-old Saylor Hayes in waters near Hagley Landing after she was reported missing from a Pawleys Island rental and her body was found the morning following her disappearance.
- Authorities say Washington County, Virginia, detected Saylor’s Project Lifesaver transmitter at the family’s Bristol residence and that the specialized band must be cut to remove the device.
- Arrest warrants allege the parents removed the tracker before the trip, encouraged searchers to rely on the inoperable device, and directed searches away from nearby water, and they were charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk and willful abandonment.
- The couple waived extradition in Tennessee and will be returned to Georgetown County, South Carolina, to face the non-homicide charges while prosecutors prepare their case.
- An autopsy report released after the examination noted pulmonary edema and no obvious external trauma, but the cause and manner of death remain undetermined pending additional lab testing and forensic analysis.